Page 67 of Even Beneath the Stars

My brother responds by burrowing deeper into the couch cushions, his pouty silence filling the room.

I bite my tongue because the fix is so easy. Ice cream or a rematch or a trip to the store. But for the first time, I'm considering the fact that maybe those things really have been part of the problem all along. Which cuts deep—to think that my actions have been messing up my brother, who is the most important person in the world to me.

I watch in amazement as Maggie shifts gears, her voice brightening like someone flipped a switch.

"Hey Finn, remember that super cool song we were gonna write about Xave? I'm still really excited to work on that." She gets up and stretches. "We should find a secret spot where he can't hear us though. You know, so it'll be a surprise."

Finn just burrows deeper into the cushions, letting out a dramatic huff. "No," he grumbles, voice muffled.

"Oh." Maggie shrugs, completely unfazed. "That's okay. I mean, you'll miss out on making up really funny jokes about your brother, but if you don't want to…" She trails off with an exaggerated sigh. "I was hoping you'd help me think of silly rhymes and stuff. But I guess I'll just have to write it by myself in the sitting room near the kitchen." She stands up, brushing off her jeans. "You can totally join me there if you change your mind, but only if you're going to be excited about it, not all grumpy."

She heads for the hallway and I follow, completely fascinated by how she's handling this. We barely make it three steps before I hear the thunder of little feet behind us.

"Wait!" Finn calls out, scrambling off the couch. "I wanna help! I know lots of funny things about Xave!"

I bite back a smile as he races to catch up with us. Kid's got the attention span of a goldfish sometimes, and right now I'm grateful for it.

And I've got to hand it to Maggie. She managed to completely defuse my brother's meltdown without a single bribe or giving in. Which makes her possibly more badass than I was already starting to give her credit for.

I sprawl across one of the antique fainting couches in the Drawing Room, scrolling through my phone while listening to the muffled sounds of giggling from down the hall. My mom's precious formal living room feels sterile and cold compared to the warmth of laughter echoing from the kitchen sitting room.

The giggling gets louder, and I look up to see Maggie and Finn filing into the room. My eyebrows shoot up when I spot the guitar in Maggie's hands. Seriously, the girl's a walking plot twist—just when I think I’ve got her figured out, she pulls this on me.

"You play guitar?"

She settles onto the edge of an ornate armchair, adjusting the instrument in her lap. "I've got all kinds of talents you don't know about."

My lips curve into a smirk as several possibilities run through my mind. Before I can voice any of them, she points a warning finger at me.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Rockwell."

"What?" I arrange my face into pure innocence. "I was just going to say—."

"I know exactly what you were going to say." She waves off my protests. "Now do you want to hear our epic song or not?"

"Obviously." I can't help the suggestive tone that creeps into my voice. "I'd love for you to share your talents with—"

"Final warning, McSmarmy Pants," she says, but there's amusement dancing in her eyes.

I exhale a quiet chuckle, shaking my head as I drag my knuckles along my jaw.

"On a scale of one to ten," Maggie asks, strumming the guitar experimentally, "how upset would your mother be if she found out we stood on this massively solid coffee table like it's a stage?"

I quirk an eyebrow, taking in the ornate mahogany piece that's probably worth more than most cars. "I'd say on a scale of one to ten, there is zero percent chance my mother would notice if we chopped the coffee table up and used the boards to build anactualstage in here."

I catch Maggie's quick glance at Finn, checking his reaction to the mention of our mother. But Finn just giggles, already kicking off his turtle slippers.

Maggie follows suit, peeling off her fuzzy sushi socks. And of course, her toenails are painted in a hue of glittery purples and pinks. The two of them climb onto the coffee table in their bare feet, and Maggie counts them down before launching into what I quickly realize is the most entertaining two-chord performance I've ever witnessed. Yeah, that's right, another plot twist—the girlonly knows two chords. But she owns them like a boss, throwing her whole body into it, head banging and jumping around while somehow managing not to fall off the table. Finn mirrors her every move, both of them belting out the lyrics:

"There’s Xavier, the winner, our champ for the night.

He thinks he’s the best, and well… he might!

But let’s not forget who’s got his back,

It’s his little bro Finn and Maggie’s sass attack!

With his smug little grin and his victory strut,

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